WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Craig Blevins was born hearing and went deaf at 2 years old after contracting meningitis. Since then he's needed to navigate the world in a way not many of us have experienced.

“Compared to back then, there is so much better technology, nowadays ... I feel like there is really no limits to access anymore," he said.

What You Need To Know

Craig Blevins said accessibility has come a long way since he was a young boy

He became deaf at 2 after contracting meningitis 

Blevins is active in the deaf community and wants to see more accessibility moving forward

Now, Blevins is the president of the North Carolina Association for the Deaf and a teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing at R.J. Reynolds High School in Forsyth County. 

At 51 years old, Blevins has seen accessibility change over time as technology has evolved. 

"The technology really took off in about the 2000's. We started to have video phones available, where we could connect with an interpreter over the phone. Prior to that we had to use a TTY, which was this big machine, and when it first came out it needed two or three guys to carry it," Blevins said. "As technology developed, it shrunk and shrunk and nowadays everything is the size of your phone."

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and in honor of that, Spectrum News 1 is highlighting disability employment issues and celebrating the many contributions of America's workers with disabilities. 

Blevins says that there are still a lot of areas that need to be worked on, like drive-thrus, but that he is happy with how far we've come. In the meantime, he hopes people will continue to be mindful of the deaf while they're out in the community.

“I guess what I would say to the broader hearing community is to just try to have an increased level of patience with us," Blevins added.